Google acquired Fitbit in 2021, promising to provide more convenient health and wellness services to a wider audience. However, that commitment appears to be wavering, as the tech giant is currently exiting nearly 30 countries, mostly in the Americas.
Google has officially stated that Fitbit products are no longer sold in Mexico and other Latin American countries. While existing users will still receive support including software updates and customer service, the move puts Fitbit into a more unique product category for a global audience.
In addition to exiting the Mexican and Latin American markets, Google also revealed plans to exit the South African market. A Google spokesperson said that it was pulling Fitbit (and Nest) products from certain markets to align its hardware business with regional availability of Pixel devices. It's worth noting that Pixel smartphones are not yet available in South Africa, while Fitbit devices have been in the local market for about a decade.
Google assures users that no changes will be made to existing Fitbit devices, ensuring they will continue to receive updates and bug fixes. Last month, it was confirmed that Fitbit would withdraw from markets in many countries in Asia (such as Hong Kong, South Korea and Malaysia) and Europe (including Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, etc.).
After withdrawing from the Mexican, Latin American and South African markets, Fitbit devices are currently only available in 23 countries around the world. Supported markets include the United States, Canada, most of Western Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, and New Zealand.
While Google has expressed interest in aligning its Fitbit hardware business with Pixel phone sales, there may be other motivations behind the decision. Google has stopped sales of the Fitbit in European countries that lack official Google Store support, hinting that the tracking device may return in those countries when the Google Store fully supports Fitbit.
Google acquired Fitbit two years ago for about $2.1 billion, a move that came under intense scrutiny from European authorities. Concerns have been raised about the potential integration of Google's advertising business with Fitbit's tracking platform. To address these issues, Alphabet companies have committed to protecting user privacy and have reached a series of binding agreements with regulators around the world.